1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to a flexible storage unit for a refrigerator.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is common in the art of refrigerators to provide vertically adjustable storage units, such as shelves. Typical adjustable storage units include elongated, vertically extending and laterally spaced rails mounted on the rear wall of a refrigerator cabinet, with the rails enabling planar shelving units to be supported in selected vertically adjustable positions in a cantilevered manner. Although the vertically adjustable nature of the shelving units allows for some flexibility in product placement and storage within a refrigerator, problems still exist with regards to utilizing refrigerator space in an efficient and practical manner. Irregular shaped or round items can pose a problem from a storage standpoint, as can unusually large or small items.
For example, the space between a lower shelving unit and an upper shelving unit may be adjusted to accommodate the tallest item on the lower shelving unit. This leaves a headspace above the remaining shorter items, resulting in the inefficient use of storage space. Additionally, if the vertical space between shelving units is adjusted to the shortest items, a users access to the items located towards the back of the refrigerator and sandwiched between the shelving units becomes restricted. Further, the difficulty in stacking irregular shaped or round items, mainly due to their potential to roll off a shelving unit, makes them difficult to store efficiently. Although storage bins are often used to hold these types of items. However, a user may want to store an item within easy view, which would otherwise be hidden or obscured in a storage bin. Based on the above, there exists a need in the art of refrigerators for a storage unit that has the flexibility to be utilized for variously sized and shaped wherein the items can be displayed and stored in an efficient and accessible manner.